Italian Grinder Sandwiches
These delicious lightened up Italian Grinder Sandwiches are full of flavor and perfect for lunch! A toasted bun is topped with a tasty blend of creamy mayonnaise and tangy Italian dressing, juicy tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, zesty banana peppers, and stacked with ham, salami, pepperoni, and provolone cheese. What more could you want in a sandwich? My husband and I both love these Italian Grider Sandwiches and I make them for lunch often. Plus, one satisfying sandwich is just 210 calories or 8 WW Points on the Weight Watchers program! To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app, click here.
Make Ahead/Build To Serve
You can definitely put one of these sandwiches together in the morning and pack it for your lunch later that day. I wrote this recipe to make four sandwiches, but with minimal prep work and easily measurable ingredients, you can definitely make whatever quantity you need. If you’re only planning to serve/eat one sandwich at a time, then it’s super easy to make one of these instead of four. The only real work you have to do to prep these Italian Grinder Sandwiches is to toast the bun and stir together the mayo and Italian dressing, so it’s easy to do those in the quantities needed for the sandwiches being consumed.
Ingredient Notes
- Cheese: I used provolone cheese in these sandwiches because I think it pairs best with the mix of Italian meats. My local grocery store (Wegmans) carries extra thin slices of provolone, and I see that other popular chains and brans do as well. Sargento, Target’s Good & Gather, Roundy’s, and Food Lion for example all have extra thin provolone slices!
- Ham: You can use whatever preferred or available brand of deli ham you want for these. I get thinly sliced ham so an ounce of ham (the amount on each sandwich) was about two slices.
- Salami: I used hard salami but if you prefer or have genoa salami or another type, that’s fine!
- Pepperoni: You’ll want to look for the sandwich-style pepperoni slices in the deli section, not the small slices you’d see on a pizza.
- Sandwich Rolls: I used Schmidt Old Tyme 647 sandwich rolls and I highly recommend them! These rolls have fewer calories and more fiber than traditional hamburger buns. If you can’t find that brand specifically, just use another light hamburger bun or sandwich roll.
- Italian Dressing: I used Ken’s Lite Northern Italian dressing in this recipe and it’s so good. A small amount provides lots of tangy Italian flavor! If you have a different Italian dressing on hand, you can definitely use that one instead.
- Banana Peppers: If you aren’t a banana pepper fan, feel free to omit these, the sandwich will still be delicious! If you’re a big fan, feel free to use more than I listed in the recipe. Stores offer jars of both mild or hot sliced banana peppers, so you can choose your own adventure as far as whether you like it spicy.
- Tomatoes: I used Roma/plum tomatoes in these sandwiches and they worked out great! However, if you have another type of tomato on hand, definitely go ahead and use the one you have.
More Tasty Lightened Up Lunch Ideas
Looking for more tasty, lightened up lunch ideas? Check out my Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps, Buffalo Chicken Salad, Sausage and Tortellini Tomato Soup, Mediterranean Chicken Chopped Salad, BLT Sandwiches with Garlic Aioli, Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup, Beef Taco Salad, Crispy Chicken Caesar Sandwiches, Black and Blue Steak Salad, Bruschetta Chicken Sandwiches, Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Buffalo Roasted Chickpea Salad, Crispy Pickle-Brined Chicken Sandwiches, Mediterranean Couscous Salad, Butternut Squash Soup, Cucumber Sandwiches, Chicken Bacon Apple Cheddar Wraps, Black Bean Soup, Cajun Turkey Club Sandwich, and many more in the Lunch section of my recipe index!
Italian Grinder Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 light sandwich rolls/buns, (I used Schmidt Old Tyme 647 sandwich rolls)
- 4 teaspoons light Italian dressing, (I used Ken’s Lite Northern Italian dressing)
- 4 teaspoons light mayonnaise, (I used Hellmann’s light)
- 4 slices extra thin Provolone cheese
- 4 oz thin sliced deli ham
- 4 slices hard salami
- 4 slices sandwich-style deli pepperoni
- 4 lettuce leaves, (green leaf lettuce or romaine)
- 4-8 slices roma/plum tomato
- 4 tablespoons jarred banana pepper slices/rings
Instructions
- Toast both sides of the sandwich rolls in your toaster to your desired doneness (toasting is optional, but recommended).
- While the rolls are toasting, stir together the Italian dressing and mayonnaise in a small dish until well combined.
- To build each sandwich, spread 2 teaspoons of the mayo mixture onto the bottom half of the toasted roll. In any order you like, layer one slice each of the provolone, salami, and pepperoni, one ounce of sliced ham, one lettuce leaf (torn to fit), 1-2 slices of tomato, and a tablespoon of sliced banana peppers. Top the sandwich with the top bun and enjoy.
Notes
210 calories, 27 g carbs, 4 g sugar, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 14 g protein, 10 g fiber, 1058 mg sodium (from myfitnesspal.com) Weight Watchers Points Plus:
6 per sandwich (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition information)
